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Murder Charges Dropped Against St. Louis Mother

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ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) – The mother of an 18-month-old boy whose body was found in a trash bin in 2011 will not stand trial in his death.

A week before her trial was scheduled to start, St. Louis prosecutors have dropped first degree murder and child abuse charges against Melissa Jackson.

Jackson had pleaded not guilty to those charges.

The thirty-year-old was arrested after her son, Marquell, was found strangled and beaten in a bin behind the apartment building in the 2300 block of Jefferson, a half-hour after his grandmother had reported him missing.

Susan Ryan, spokeswoman for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, would not explain why the charges were dropped.

A city police spokeswoman said an officer might have compromised the case by not sharing information with homicide detectives.